Steve Israel: Stop and give thanks as holiday rush begins

Hope you had a wonderful holiday, full of family and friendship, laughter and love and lots of good food.

Before we get caught up in the insanity of holiday shopping — and I really hope you're not tangled in it right now — I'd like to ask all of us to take a deep breath and pause for a moment.

Let's try and remember to cherish everything we said we were thankful for yesterday. I know I always need to remind myself to be thankful for all I have all year long — not just on a holiday. All we had to do yesterday was look around the tables we were fortunate enough to share with family and friends to know where to begin to give thanks:

For the unquestioning love of our wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers who love us no matter what we do, or say. Let's remember to always cherish those times when our hearts literally skip a beat with love for them.

For the wisdom of our elders — whether it's something as seemingly small as that apple pie recipe passed from a mother to a child, or as huge as the wars a father or grandfather fought to preserve our freedom.

For the innocence of our children and their unwavering belief in the magic of life. I'm thinking particularly of a picture of my 4-year-old nephew Brendan, standing in silent awe in front of Santa Claus.

For the priceless treasure of lifelong friendship of those who, no matter how many years pass or miles separate us, are there for us, no matter what. And in this year, when so many of us have lost someone so dear to disease, let us all be thankful for our own health.

This year, Thanksgiving comes just weeks after so many of us lost so much to Hurricane Sandy — and just two days after that awful fire destroyed four buildings and small business in Sullivan County's Livingston Manor.

So really, shouldn't we all be thankful for:

The roofs over our heads.

The heat that warms us with the turn of a dial.

The clean water that flows from a faucet.

And when so many of us are still ravaged by hunger, let's always appreciate:

The food that fills our stomachs every day.

In this holiday season, which often brings out the worst in us with stampedes at malls for things we will just throw away, here's a thank-you to our mom-and-pop shop owners. They might stay open an extra five or 10 minutes to help us because they're neighbors who care.

But most of all, let's be thankful for one another. Hurricane Sandy — and that Manor fire — were reminders that when disaster strikes, our better selves always shine.

We hoist trees from blocked roads. We bring water to neighbors who've gone dry. We risk our lives to fight fire. Why, within minutes of reports of that fire in the Manor, folks were already online, offering helping hands.

I'd also like to thank all of you — for your emails, for your letters, for your precious time. I literally couldn't do this without you.